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For me and my family, we will reflect on how deeply thankful we are that we can safely be together. White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre briefed reporters and responded to questions on several issues, including funding for new border wall construction, combating gun violence, and Ukraine aid. White House press secretary Sarah Sanders was just asked why Trump accepted the meeting with North Korea's Kim Jong Un without "preconditions," such as the release of the three Americans that are being held there. We’re not saying we do not want TikTok to exist.
Biden tries to downplay age with jokes, mocks Trump at White House Correspondents Dinner
An election-year roast of President Joe Biden before journalists, celebrities and politicians at the annual White House correspondents’ dinner on Saturday butted up against growing public discord over the Israel-Hamas war. The message today, I think, is quite obvious, and that’s that vaccination requirements work. They’re implementable without disruptions. And they boost — they boost dramatically vaccination rates.
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And that’s true of Democrats, it’s true of Republicans, it’s true of independents. And that’s what’s shown through in the votes, both in the House and the 79-vote aye vote outcome we saw in the Senate last night. But it was also a reminder, in getting to see her, that there are still Americans and others being held hostage by Hamas. And we’re working day in, day out to ensure all of them also are able to get safely home to their loved ones. But significant damage has been done to the Biden administration’s effort to help Ukraine repel Russia’s invasion during the funding impasse that dates back to August, when the Democratic president made his first emergency spending request for Ukraine aid. Even with a burst of new weapons and ammunition, it’s unlikely Ukraine will immediately recover after months of setbacks.
Defense Department Briefing
They are threatening settlements to the west of Avdiivka. And, of course, they’re raining hell down on Kharkiv and other cities across Ukraine. It was a long road to secure this funding. And I have to say, standing here today, it was too long. And the consequences of the delay have been felt in Ukraine.
WATCH: White House holds briefing after Biden signs Ukraine, Israel aid bill into law
But before I start talking about boosters, let me reiterate something that Dr. Walensky just said. As we approach the Thanksgiving holiday, I want to take a moment to reflect on where we were a year ago. I can remember waiting in great anticipation for the lifesaving vaccines we currently have at our fingertips. Last year, many families did not gather and celebrations went without parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. Data updated and posted today on CDC’s COVID Data Tracker continue to show that unvaccinated people are six times more likely to test positive for COVID-19 than vaccinated individuals. And most tragic are the vaccine-preventable deaths we are still seeing from this disease.
Press Briefing by Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan
But, you know, we want to make sure that people have the opportunity to peacefully protest — peacefully protest. And we’ve been consistent here throughout this administration. The President has been consistent about it, obviously, since 2017, but even before that, when he saw what happened in Charlottesville. We have to call out hateful, violent rhetoric. So, we’re going to let that process play out.
As I said, 95 percent of federal workers are in compliance and 90 percent are already vaccinated. And even once the deadline passes, as we’ve talked about, it’s not a cliff. We’ll continue to work with people, answer their questions, provide counseling and education, and get more and more people vaccinated. First, let’s talk about why this recommendation was made now. CDC is continuously monitoring the state of the pandemic, and our current surveillance shows a rise in cases over the past few weeks. Heading into the winter months when respiratory viruses are more likely to spread and with plans for increased holiday season travel and gathering, boosting people’s overall protection against COVID-19 disease and death was important to do now.
And I think Mitch McConnell spoke for himself on that. Obviously, we have shown our commitment to the great people of Ukraine as it relates to defending themselves against Russia’s aggression. And we believe that we need to do everything that we can to make sure that they have what they need to fight for their democracy, to fight for their freedom.
But if it does wane, which I hope it doesn’t, then we will address it. Q Hi, thank you for taking my questions. I think I have one for Dr. Fauci and one for Dr. Walensky. Dr. Fauci, I think that many Americans are wondering how long the booster doses will be required. In other words, will we be looking out at a fourth shot or shots every six months or every year?
What I can say is that the President will continue to be vigilant about our national security, and — and he will remain — we will remain to act swiftly to protect it. Again, this is not a decision that he made lightly. Yesterday, U.S. officials met with Paul Whelan’s family to inform them of the news.
White House news briefing: Watch live - The Hill
White House news briefing: Watch live.
Posted: Mon, 18 Mar 2024 07:00:00 GMT [source]
It is an amalgam of capabilities that come together and combine with the bravery and skill of Ukraine’s fighters that’s going to make the difference in this conflict. We are also providing Ukraine with new capabilities. I’m able to confirm, as you’ve heard from others, that in February the President directed his team to provide Ukraine with a significant number of ATACMS missiles for use inside Ukraine’s sovereign territory. That shipment started moving in March as part of the PDA that the President authorized on March 12th, and those missiles have arrived in Ukraine. Russia has tried to grind out very slow, costly progress on multiple fronts over the past few weeks. They are threatening the town of Chasiv Yar.
And with that, I’d be happy to take your questions. Russia is going to continue to press its attacks against Ukrainian defenses. But for the reasons that I have laid out, over time, we assess that Ukraine’s position in this conflict will improve, and we believe that Ukraine can and will win. The Czech government, whose Prime Minister was just here recently, has raised enough money to purchase half a million artillery shells for Ukraine, with hundreds of thousands more beyond that to follow. And despite the challenges that I’ve just described, I think it is very important for us to underscore that as we look ahead to the rest of 2024, our view is that Ukraine retains key advantages in this fight. Uk- — Ukraine can and will prevail, and that will be thanks to the bravery of its people but also the support of its friends.
Over the past six months, Ukraine has had to ration ammunition, and that has resulted in the loss of some territory in the east, including the city of Avdiivka. The bill makes important investments in our defense industrial base that will strengthen our own military. And, of course, it provides timely support to our allies and partners in the Indo-Pacific as well.
As you know, Tim Cook was also in Phoenix, Arizona, when the President was talking about the CHIPS and Science Act. Remember, the President’s priority here has been and continues to be, as he’s — he is pushing his economic priorities, is to make sure that we’re creating manufacturing jobs right here in the U.S. I don’t know the specific case, so can’t speak to it, can’t speak to where we are internally or any — any outreach that has occurred. At the same time, the entire administration, as you’re asking me, remains committed to implementing the President’s executive order to help strengthen public trust and public safety. Again, I — we’ve — we’ve litigated this all week.
And what we have seen since then, as I was speaking about before with respect to the provision and facilitation of humanitarian assistance, has been a significant difference. But the administration will be well represented at that event. And so, we will continue in — to engage with the Prime Minister — the President will. We’ll continue to engage with his team in an effort for them to fully understand our perspective and where we think the right steps forward are and to listen to them as well.
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